Sitting for long periods can inevitably lead to a hunchback posture. In this article, you will learn how to fix hunched neck and shoulders in just four moves.
But what exactly is hunchback posture?
Forward head, slumping shoulders, a tilted pelvis, you know the telltale signs you’ve been teleported back to 15th century Paris. (Quasimodo)
O.K., well, what if you don’t sit for hours on end at a desk, then chances are you might get hunched neck, also known as text neck symptoms.
Hunched Neck is when your eyes are glued to your smartphone, and your head juts forward like a question mark. When you sustain hunched neck posture while you clock in countless hours of screen time, the unfortunate result is chronic headaches, shoulder, and neck pain.
How to Fix Hunched Neck and Shoulders in 4 Moves
#1- Book a Deep Tissue Massage
Of course, I need to plug deep tissue massage because it’s the number one way (in my opinion) that can help correct these postural distortions by relaxing, loosening and stretching the overly tight and contracted muscles, teaching you what it feels like to be in proper alignment.
The more relaxed your muscles feel the more liberated your joints will be, and this will inevitably improve your journey toward better posture.
#2 – Couch Potato Quad Stretch
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Sitting for long periods, puts the quadriceps muscles (thighs) in a constant contraction, keeping them short and tight.
Of the four quadriceps muscles, only one of them, the rectus femoris, attaches at the hip near the knee.
Tight quadriceps pull the pelvis forward at the front part of your hips, called the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS). This pulling tilts the pelvis downward or forward, resulting in what’s called an anterior pelvic tilt.
This anterior tilt increases the arch in the lower back (referred to as lordosis), and this can make the back muscles tight and sore. Inadvertently, the tight quads can weaken or overstretch the hamstrings.
Proper postural alignment, and stretched out quads, will help to balance and protect the low back muscles and keep them pain-free.
Start by placing your left knee on to the couch cushion with your left foot against the back of the couch. The closer your knee is to the back cushion, the more intense a stretch it will be; the farther from the back cushion, the easier it is.
If this is too painful for the top of your foot, place a rolled-up towel or small pillow underneath that foot/ankle.
Once you’ve gotten into this position, SLOWLY bring the right leg into a lunge, making sure that the knee is over the ankle and not past the toes.
From here, kick your left foot into the back cushion to contract (resist) the muscles on the front of the leg (quadriceps).
As you kick into the back cushion, use your other leg to push your body back to stretch the quads. As you go back, be sure to tuck the glutes under (the opposite of sticking your butt out) to increase the stretch.
Move back and forth for 1 minute. Then repeat on the other leg.
#3. Get into the Baby Camel Pose
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Getting into the Camel pose can be quite a challenging backbend, so modifying it and doing the “baby version” is a lot more doable for us inflexible folks.
Begin by tucking your toes under, and placing the palms of your hands into your sacrum.
Lift from your chest as you slowly lean backward.
Keep your head in a neutral position aligned with your spine, and slowly lift your gaze towards the ceiling.
Hold for 5 breaths.
#4. Do the Prone YTW Exercise
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Step 1: The “Y”
Lie on your stomach (preferably on a mat), gently exhale, and slowly lift your arms off the floor, moving your arms into the “Y” formation with palms facing inward. Keep your head aligned with your upper spine.
Focus on lifting from the shoulders and not the low back. Hold this position for one to two seconds, then relax and return to your starting position. Perform ten repetitions.
Step 2: The “T”
From the same starting position, gently exhale, and slowly lift your arms off the floor, moving your arms into the “T” formation, as illustrated, with palms facing forward.
Hold this position for one to two seconds, then relax and return to your starting position. Perform ten repetitions.
Step 3: The “W”
Gently exhale, and slowly lift your arms off the floor. Bend your elbows and pull them toward your waist, forming the letter “W” with your palms facing inward.
Hold this position for one to two seconds, then relax and return to your starting position. Perform ten repetitions.
So now you know How to Fix Hunched Neck and Shoulders in 3 Moves.
Recommended Posture Book
Check it out on Amazon!The 21 exercises in Reverse Bad Posture Exercises are designed to fix forward head posture, rounded shoulders, and hunched back posture in just 15 minutes per day.
Take Reverse Bad Posture Exercises everywhere you go, and you can feel confident that you will be able to improve your posture and prevent traumatic neck, shoulder, and back pain episodes from wreaking havoc on your life.
Recommended Reading
6 Exercises to Reverse Bad Posture
5 Steps to Fix Forward Head and Prevent Text Neck Symptoms
